Trauma. We experience it collectively at times of national and global crisis. We also experience trauma as individuals—finding its origins in anything from childhood abandonment to a mild fender bender. But, what is it really? How does it get in there and take residence? How can we work with it, transform it, and ultimately, free ourselves from it?

Trauma can be described as a psycho-neurological dissociation. Something happens, and in that moment, a part of us freezes while other parts move on. Realizing that the nervous system is at max capacity, the bodymind encodes the trauma—freeing you up, in a sense, to deal with the immediate situation/crisis.

Both science and the healing arts have contributed to a wealth of information regarding the effects of trauma on the bodymind. They have found it to be the foundation of a great deal of physical and emotion pain. The delicate adrenal system can also be impacted—lowering our vital life forces and resistance to stress.

There are a number of ways to address, move through and let go of trauma. Today, I bring you HMR (Holographic Memory Resolution). I have used this past year to train in this modality and am now thrilled to share its effectiveness with my clients and community.

Think of HMR as a reframing technique—allowing you to enter your own nervous system, find the moment where a part of you froze, and communicating with that part; assuring it you are safe and that the trauma may now be released.

The language HMR gives you to effectively communicate with these frozen and blocked areas is the language of color—and there’s some pretty amazing things about color: It’s universal, is considered our first emotional language and has the ability to harmonize the hemispheres of the brain. To simplify the concept of color in relation to trauma we say that the brain at neutral and healthy operates on white light. During a traumatic event, the scene has an absence of light. This absence of light is reflected in the areas of our body which go on to hold that trauma. By reframing the event or scene with healing colors, one is able to provide energies that were missing during the moment of crisis. The nervous system has an opportunity to reset, the memory loses its ability to hold the same weight, and healing occurs in a holographic way—such that the smart part extends to the whole.

As you embark on or continue with your healing journey, consider utilizing the HMR model. I can personally endorse its efficacy and would be honored to share it with you.

The Gift of Energy Healing

December 5th 2015

The woman who came into my office displayed a beautiful strength in her energy field, yet I could also sense a lot of sadness there. It was clear that her life had been filled with mountains to climb, and though she shone with determination she also looked incredibely tired. “I’ve really been looking forward to this appointment” she told me. “Not much good has ever happened in my life up until this point, and I am ready for change.”

Feeling safe in my office, this woman started to share pieces of her life story, many of which contained stories of sexual trauma. The words felt like rivers as they poured out of her, lining the floor of my office with a pool of old wounds.

“So I do not know what you can do for me” she concluded after disclosing pieces of her life’s story. “All I want is to feel better. To feel connected to myself. To feel more whole.”

In moments where people come to my office with such a beautiful vulnerability, I deeply understand how privileged I am to do the work that I do. I am not a healer. I believe that we can only facilitate healing, and that ultimately people heal themselves. But I do work with the energy body on multiple levels, and though I do not believe in “curing” I do believe in facilitating deep change. Each and every time I am able to work with someone to lighten a burden or make room for more brightness in their lives, I understand what an honor it is to be a part of people’s journeys towards healing.

I asked this woman if a goal of our work together could be welcoming in feelings of being nourished and safe, so that we could create space for those energetic pathways to take root and blossom. Having experienced so much sexual trauma from a very young age, this woman had clearly been taught that the world is not a safe place. My hope was to bring in some bright energy with the intention of fostering safety to help heal that wound.

We decided on using hypnosis to help the subconscious connect to the concept of safety, and then fortifying that work with reiki. At the end of our work together the woman had such a strong and visible sense of integration and calm. It was as if her eyes had a layer of film removed from them so that they could shine with true inner brightness. Though I know I did not help her completely overcome cumulative trauma in our one session together, I do know that I was able to work with her to create a new reference point of feeling safe, calm, and supported in the world. This is the gift of energy healing. To help create new energetic memories and pathways so that current and future healing may be facilitated and held. It is the planting of a seed for future growth. A small act with a true potential for transformational change.

The Importance of Self-Care for Nonprofit Professionals

July 16th, 2014

I was sitting across from a good friend over lunch a few years ago sharing feelings I felt guilty for feeling. After six years of working in the anti-violence community I was struggling with a lack of inspiration and not being connected to my work. My heart felt less open to what my organization was striving for, and I was beginning to dread going into the office in the morning. Though nothing had changed in my work situation, I could tell something inside of me was changing. I looked at my friend unsure of how she would respond to what I shared, and with a beautiful note of compassion in her voice she said to me, “Rachel- you’re burned out.” Burn out is not something we often discuss for those of us working in the field to end sexual harm. It is something that is almost expected as part of the job. But once I was aware of how burnt out I had become and how it was impacting the quality of my work, I started to have similar conversations with my staff. Every one of us was feeling the intense impact in our personal lives of the work we were doing professionally. For those working in nonprofits, self-care can often be a challenge. Limited or no organizational funds dedicated to self-care are a reality for most grass-root organizations, and the pay salary for nonprofit jobs is often not enough to access healing opportunities. Which is why I strongly believe that healing arts must be made available to not only those engaged in healing from a sexual assault but also for those working in the field. When I finally did leave my job I decided to dedicate my time to provide energy healing to those doing healing work. As a practitioner I feel it is a privilege to not only support those working through pain but the advocates and counselors who themselves often experience vicarious trauma through their work. I believe that as awareness of the healing arts become more prevalent, more individuals will seek out these services. And as practitioners we are in the advantageous position to connect nonprofit employees with awareness about healing work. I wish I had known about energy healing years ago when I began my nonprofit career, but at least I can now help connect others to this wonderful rejuvenating resource.